Interests - Remembering My Godfather of Slapstick

I think as people grow up we are introduced to the different genres of movies by the actors who frequent them. For many people they will always equate any action movie to the work of Arnold Schwarzenegger. For others, there will never be a leading lady in a romantic comedy that will top Julia Roberts. These actors define these types of movies and when you think of that variety of movie, you think of that person who portrayed those characters so adeptly.

One of the actors who defined a genre for me growing up sadly passed away this week. Leslie Nielsen was 84 when he died on Sunday night and to me he will always be the face of slapstick comedy. The first time I saw “The Naked Gun” I thought how I had never seen a movie like this before, and didn’t know they made movies like that. Up until that point, my comedy taste focused mostly on Scooby Doo and the Mupper Babies, so this was a major part of the puberty for my comedic tastes. The jokes were so ridiculous but Nielsen spoke them all with such uncanny delivery. Even though I probably understood about 25% of what was said, I still laughed until I could hardly breathe.

As I grew older and I rewatched “TNG”, I picked on even more of the subtler jokes I had missed. I also picked up on the ones that were too mature for me to get, specifically one regarding a stuffed beaver, and the genius of Nielsen continued to grow for me. When I saw “Airplane” for the first time I immediately got excited when I saw him step on screen (this was before imdb, so if you weren’t paying attention to the credits you wouldn’t know who was in the movie until they appeared). His performance didn’t disappoint and it could be argued it’s even better than “TNG”. Nielsen’s presence didn’t always translate to laughs though. I remember being disappointed in him as The Captain in “The Poseidon Adventure”, and being frightened throughout that whole movie. Still, I never gave up hope on Nielsen’s presence in a movie delivering the goods and I followed his work throughout my teens.

There was another reason I followed Nielsen’s work so closely and it’s also why I’ll never forget him. As a kid I remember always wanting to make my father laugh and I loved watching him find something hilarious. The first person I remember my father laughing at was Leslie Nielsen. My father is by no means a stern man, and laughs quite frequently, but there was still something special for me to see him smile so broadly whenever Nielsen told someone not to call him Shirley. I continued to watch Nielsen’s movies not just as a fan, but also knowing each one was something new my father and I could share. We watched both “Naked Gun” sequels as they came out, and then made sure we rented “Dracula: Dead and Loving It”, “Spy Hard”, “Mr. Magoo” and “Wrongfully Accused”. Now none of those movies came near the level of the original “Naked Gun” or “Airplane” but they still made us laugh for 90 minutes each. Laughing at Nielsen’s antics together was one of the first bonds my father and I shared and while there have been plenty more since then; this one will always be close to my heart.

I didn’t follow Nielsen’s career very closely over the past few years. I knew he was in a few of the “(Blank) Movie”s, but I never checked them out. Nielsen’s passing is sad in it of itself, but what makes it even sadder for me is the state slapstick comedy is in right now. Those “(Blank) Movies”s seem to come out every six months, which makes me highly doubt their quality. Still, this was supposed to be something celebrating Nielsen and celebrating the joy his work brought to so many people like me and my father. So with that, I’d like to pass along a final thank you to Leslie Nielsen. For bringing me countless hours of enjoyment, for eliciting some of the biggest belly laughs I have ever shared with my father, and for being my Godfather of Slapstick Comedy. You will be missed.

Interests - TV Power Rankings (Week 9 2010-11)

1. (2) “Community” – Yep, that’s right. A new #1 for the first time ever. “Community” sadly doesn’t get the audience it should and I think its had an outstanding sophomore season (unlike “Cougar Town”). This week’s episode did an exceptionally good job at having a mysterious storyline involving night school classes that kept me as intrigued by where it was going as much as it made me laugh. The episode had plenty of references to pop culture throughout, but they weren’t as obvious as other episodes have been. Plus, the pillow and bed sheet fort Abed and Troy made could have been reason alone to elevate this to the top spot for the week. One final note, I read people felt this episode ripped off the J. Walter Weatherman storylines from “Arrested Development” but I didn’t see that at all. Double crosses and triple crosses have been in movies and TV for years, no one show can take credit for that and no show should feel like they’re ripping another off by using it.
2. (1) “Chuck” – Well here we are. Maybe if “Chuck” had tried a little harder this week we wouldn’t be in this situation. In all honesty, this episode wasn’t bad at all. It guest starred Rob Riggle (the cop who lets the kids taser the guys in “The Hangover”) as a spy trying to get Chuck to flash again. The issue is the episode was clearly the beginning of an arc and as such I felt I had to slip it down a notch. When the arc eventually wraps up, I like the chances of “Chuck” reclaiming the top spot again.
3. (3) “Modern Family” – I liked how Manny finally saw in himself how odd his behavior sometimes can be. Don’t get me wrong, he’s one of my favorite characters on the show. I would just think it would be lazy to not have him address how he clearly is very different from kids his age. I know they came close to doing this in Season 1 when he was supposed to hang out with Luke and instead hung out with Claire all day, but I thought this was a lot better. 
4. (4) “30 Rock” – It’s funny how sometimes shows seem to just take seasons off. Maybe it’s that they tried so hard and came up with a great season, and so they think they can slack a little bit and it’ll still be pretty good. Who knows? But what I do know is a lot of shows have trouble rebounding from that, like “The Office” and much of this year of “How I Met Your Mother”. This hasn’t been the case for “30 Rock” as I keep being more and more satisfied with what a bounce back season this has been. This week really utilized Jack’s additional duties as Head of Microwave Ovens at GE. While it was a fitting ending to Jack being a member of GE, I am sad to see the loss of an aspect of Jack’s job that had so many potential laughs.
5. (5) “Terriers” – We finally got to see the case that caused Hank to be kicked off the police force and essentially ended his marriage. It was a particularly gruesome case, one that seemed more like something off “Law & Order: SVU” but the payoff of catching the guy was well worth it. Britt’s in a lot of trouble though for beating up Katie’s classmate. It’s going to be tough for the boys to get out of this one. Then again I thought the same thing when Lindus died in Hank’s bathtub and that all worked out for everybody. Except Lindus.
6. (9) “Boardwalk Empire” – I feel like I am going to be criticized for enjoying this episode more than most because of the action near the end. I realize the character building from the slower episodes that I ranked lower than this paved the way for this episode to be so good. Still, I am gonna ignore that because it makes me look semi-ignorant and just say this show is starting to fulfill the high expectations I had for when it began. I think my favorite part of the season so far was this week when the D’Allesio brother who tried to shoot Nucky asked Jimmy if he was going to kill him for mouthing off and Jimmy said “Well I wasn’t going to but now that you talked me into.” And then shoots him in the head. Awesome. Finally, was I the only one who thought when Agent Van Alden had his first shot of whiskey he was gonna react like Doc Brown in “Back to the Future III”?
7. (7) “Sons of Anarchy” – Finally a little bit of closure to wrap up this uneven season. But there are still two episodes left and as much as Jax says he’s done listening to his father from beyond the grave, I’m sure the love letters stuffed in his bag will bring it all back again. I will say this, Salazar should kill Tara. It’s the only realistic thing to happen, but I know it won’t. I don’t want Tara gone, but she killed the guy’s girl and he has a gun and they are in the middle of nowhere. Come on.
8. (11) “Fringe” – Uh, oh. Peter knows he’s been sleeping with Fauxlivia, what’s gonna happen? The real shame will be if when Olivia goes back to her own world she gets rid of her red hair. That look is working for you girl!
9. (8) “Walking Dead” – Much better than the previous two. The only reason it slipped was because of how good the shows in front of it all were. I am very excited for these last two episodes.
10. (6) “The Event” – Here’s the deal, I don’t care about Sean and Leila. So when the plot deals with them I zone out. Plus, we found out early on in the episode the VP was behind the assassination attempt and we knew Hal Holbrook was bad already too. So this “backstory” episode that was so supposed to reveal so much did nothing for me.
11. (14) “How I Met Your Mother” – I will never ever tire of Robin Sparkles. Nor will I ever complain about Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls being around. However, it was a bit of a stretch that she was from Canada, yet was living in New York as the organist for the Rangers. They have hockey teams in Canada, a lot of them.
12. (12) “Family Guy” – This week’s laugh out loud moment was when Brian leaves Stewie to take a cab and Stewie sees he has no money. He then says, “Well at least it’s not raining” and some guy runs up and stabs him. Typical NYC.
13. (13) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” – Two back to back very strong episodes are keeping this from falling any lower. I feel like the show could do every episode focused solely on Charlie’s warped mind and I wouldn’t grow tired of it. Denim chicken is a sweet band name by the way.
14. (10) “The Challenge: Cutthroat” – This season isn’t going as well as it started as it has hit quite the lull. But Boston’s own CT is on next week! I will work you son!
15. (15) “The Office” – Ryan’s idea was actually not bad, but obviously he doesn’t have the work ethic to follow through on it. Dwight’s whole hay ride shenanigans weren’t funny and I guess the best part of the episode was Horn-Rimmed Glasses Guy from “Heroes” being Angela’s new love interest.
16. (16) “Cougar Town” – Eh, as previously stated this show’s not having the sophomore season I wanted or expected it to. I really don’t like Travis and I think that’s what is affecting my fondness for the show. I don’t see how these people like him. I know two of them are his parents, but even still, he sucks.
17. (17) “Raising Hope” – I do like this show, I do. There’s just not a whole lot to say about it and I run into this problem every week. It’s about a 6 or 7 every week, so if you are looking to kill 22 minutes (you should own a DVR at this point, you’re not Amish) then here you go.
18. (18) “Glee” – I have to admit, Gwyneth Paltrow REALLY impressed me. I was fully expecting all her scenes to be cringe-worthingly awkward, but she did a good job and clearly has a stage presence I didn’t think she had. I still dislike a vast majority of the characters and now only enjoy about one song an episode.
19. (19) “Survivor” – How is Dan still on this show???? I gotta think if he makes it to the final three you’d have to vote for him simply because he literally “survived”.
20. (20) “Parenthood” – Why was Joel the director of a play his daughter wasn’t even in? I hope I missed that part because if I didn’t that made ZERO sense.
21. (21) “The League” – I think this will be the last season I watch this show

Interests - Should You See "Precious"?

"Precious" is a movie that has been getting quite a bit of buzz over the last few months. People are talking about newcomer Gabourey Sidibe and her portrayal of Precious, a poor, obese teen in Harlem in 1987. They are talking about comedienne Monique's revelation of a performance as Precious' sadistic and abusive mother. And they are talking about Mariah Carey's surprisingly competent job of playing a social worker and doing it without any makeup. This movie is also getting a lot of awards attention having been nominated for Best Picture-Drama at the Golden Globes, as well as both Sidibe and Monique receiving nods. It is believed, especially where the field has been expanded to 10 movies for Best Picture, the movie and actors will be nominated for Academy Awards. I recently saw "Precious" and will say it's a very good movie, with excellent performances and I am happy I saw it. However, I don't know if I can or should tell you to see it.

I know how ridiculous that may sound. I saw this great movie, it's getting all this positive attention, how can I say I liked it and not recommend it? Well it's complicated.

For most people, a movie is an escape. It's a way to break away from the mundane activities of life and watch a story of something extraordinary. Like watching giant blue cat people on a fictional planet fighting human controlled robots. It's also a way to cheer you up when you are feeling down. Like watching two men sneak their way into weddings and sleep with random female guests while using aliases. And sometimes it's seeing a story of someone from meager beginnings rise to the top of their field. Like watching an undersized defensive end get the hell beaten out of him during countless practices only to make it on the field at the end of his last game and record a sack.


These are movies, and they make us cheer, they make us laugh and we remember the best moments. It's not a coincidence that when I was in Vegas this Fall I heard 20 different people say "This isn't the real Caesar's Palace, is it?" And I didn't even stay at Caesar's Palace. The point is movies are entertainment and they are mostly designed to obviously entertain us and for many people that's all they are looking for.

Precious does not do any of these things. The ending is uplifting, but not nearly enough to make up for the rest of the absolute hell this poor girl is put through her entire life. And it's not nearly enough for when you walk out of the theater or shut off your DVD player for you to smile and be content. This movie will not entertain you and that's okay because that's not the point.

A movie can also do something besides entertain, it can educate and make you think of something from a different perspective you never considered before. Obviously documentaries are a prime example, but there are plenty of regular movies that can do so as well. I studied the Holocaust in high school and I read "Night" by Elie Wiesel. However, the scope of this tragic time in history never really hit me as hard as it should have until I saw "Schindler's List", a great movie that I doubt many could say was very "entertaining". And that is the other power movies have. To show people something they might never have thought about, or never would have completely grasped the severity of had they just read about it.


This is where the power of "Precious" lies and it's what makes it such a great movie. I'm a white male from a middle class suburban family that was skinny in high school. I could not have less in common with this character and to tell you the truth I never really thought about what it would be like for someone like her. That's what I liked about this movie though, it made me think and deeply care about a character who has many real life counterparts I had never given a second thought about. I'm not saying the movie caused me to become an activist or anything like that, but just that I considered what it would be like to be this person and how tough she has it, shows how powerful a movie this.

So why wouldn't I recommend it? Because this movie is TOUGH to get through. This girl's life is something you would not wish on your worst enemy. She is molested by her father and has two kids from him. There's a scene of this abuse that is reason enough for me to never recommend someone seeing this movie. I mean how could you really tell a person that's something they should watch? She's overweight and is verbally and physically abused by her mother who treats her as if she "stole" her man from her. One of her children has down syndrome. She's been suspended from school for getting pregnant for the second time. Her life is quite literally a living hell to the point she often fantasizes about herself in glamorous situations as an escape. Now she does end up attending an alternative school and finds a teacher who believes in her (Paula Patton, another strong performance), which sounds formulaic but is well done enough that it does not feel like you've seen it a million times before. Lenny Kravitz appears as a nurse who helps deliver Precious' second baby and makes it a toss up for which musician gives the better performance, Kravitz or Carey. Precious eventually gets her life close to turned around and as I said the ending is somewhat uplifting. But the ending doesn't stick with you for the next few days like the first 90 minutes do, which is another reason I find it difficult to tell someone to see this movie.


One thing I also found really sad as I watched "Precious" was the great performance Sidibe gave. This young actress did an outstanding job and is getting numerous nominations and attention. However, I couldn't help think how few roles like this there would be in Sidibe's future. She clearly has the talent, but how many movies have you seen with obese African-American women stars that are not comedies? This is no fault of Sidibe's, but more a sad commentary that this actress might not be in high demand after what should be a star making role.

I am glad I saw "Precious" and I think it was very well done. I think the performances were a key part of the quality of the film, as anything less would have made it a lot more traumatic and not as redeeming. At the end of the day I would say if you're someone who only seeks entertainment from movies and only wants to watch them as an escape then feel free to skip "Precious", you will not walk away smiling from it. However, if you're someone who likes movies that are on a higher level, movies looking to educate, movies that don't always give the happy ending wrapped up in a nice big bow then I would definitely recommend "Precious".

Work Experience - Analyst Angle on Content Delivery Platform

Article at RCR Wireless

Analyst Angle: Data traffic growth drives the content delivery platform (CDP) market

AS MOBILE DATA TRAFFIC EXPLODES, OPERATORS WILL INCREASINGLY TURN TO CDPS TO MANAGE—AND PROFIT FROM—IT.

August 25 2010 - 1:29 pm ET | Terry Cudmore, Yankee Group | RCR Wireless News

The torch has been passed: Mobile data traffic now surpasses voice and it will continue to grow indefinitely. As a consequence, operators need to find ways to not only support this new wave of traffic, but also profit from it as well. Content delivery platforms (CDPs) can help. 

Yankee Group defines CDPs as software used to bring content from its origin, through the network and to the end-user to create the best content viewing experience for the consumer. But CDPs don't just make content easily accessible for subscribers; they can also help operators leverage advantages networks already have to create services and generate new revenue streams. 
Data is now king 

CDPs are increasingly on operator's radar screens now that mobile data traffic is on the rise. While data still trails voice when it comes to total revenue, it is making up ground in the percentage of total mobile revenue versus voice.

Yankee Group predicts total annual mobile data revenue will grow by close to $60 million from 2009 to 2013. While that won't surpass voice revenue, the real growth story is in data's continuing percentage share gains of total mobile revenue (versus voice). In 2005, mobile data made up less than 15% of total mobile revenue. However, in 2013, when Yankee Group forecasts total mobile phone revenue to reach over $1 billion annually, data revenue will represent over a quarter of the returns. Voice may continue to bring in the majority of revenue, but it will gradually lose ground to data. The traffic figures for data will only keep growing, requiring more attention from vendors and operators.
Show me the money 

Unfortunately, operators are not seeing massive revenue increases to go along with such high traffic and usage. Operators are charging subscribers for data plans, but the data is becoming more dynamic without the plan charges following suit. Since consumers are accustomed to getting these services at the current rates, any significant price increases will certainly be met with disapproval and will run the risk of driving customers away, which is not an option for operators. 

Instead, operators must begin to embrace ideas and solutions beyond their antiquated (for lack of a better term) business models when it comes to content delivery. They need to leverage the intimate knowledge of their network and customers to pursue the following opportunities:

• Leverage subscriber data to enable targeted advertising.Operators should open themselves up to the idea of sharing subscriber information for targeted advertising, which could be quite a profitable venture. Agencies are always looking for ways to reach the exact consumer they're looking for, and operators have the power to guide them to the right eyeballs. 

• Use that same data to personalize content for end-users. With more data, people will be able to find more specific content related to their interests. Operators should look to use their detailed subscriber information to enhance the end-user experience for content viewing on their mobile phones. 

• Deploy creative advertising throughout the network.Operators are not tied down to the same specific advertising placement regulations as broadcast TV stations, where ads only pop up every 10 minutes, so they can be more creative about where they place their advertising. This creativity can lead to new revenue streams from places not considered in previous business models. 

• Offer dynamic pricing and prepaid alternatives. Charges could be different for time of day or length of usage, or consumers could buy different packages depending on the amount of data they expect to use in a given time. 

• Capitalize on social media. The growth of YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and similar sites underscores how people are continually finding new ways to express themselves to the world. Operators should look to capitalize on this market by making it as easy as possible for their customers to upload their own content to various social media sites. 

If operators are going to use these opportunities effectively, however, they need a better platform. And that's where CDPs come in.
The CDP difference 

CDPs enable operators to improve their strategy for content delivery by providing a better consumer experience, and they also aid operators in unlocking assets such as subscriber data. 

CDPs capture, organize and deliver content from the origin to the consumer, which is the definitive leverage point for operators. Obviously, operators' main concerns are keeping their network running smoothly and keeping latency as low as possible. A sluggish network puts operators in danger of not only losing existing customers (due to sub-optimal end-user experience), but also gaining a poor reputation, which hurts the prospects of gaining future customers. Since these concerns are directly tied to revenue, operators must ensure they alleviate or stop heavy traffic situations before they occur. 
CDP spending will surpass $4 billion by 2013

Yankee Group believes operators will respond to rising mobile data traffic levels by pursuing new revenue-generating opportunities and implementing CDPs. In fact, Yankee Group forecasts global spending on CDPs will exceed $3 billion in 2010 and will push beyond $4 billion in 2013. We predict Asia-Pacific will be the leading region for CDP spending in 2010, but EMEA will surpass Asia-Pacific in 2011 and continue to spend the most of any region going forward. Latin America, however, is predicted to grow the fastest, with a CAGR of 22 percent through 2013.
CDP choices abound 

Who can operators turn to for their CDP needs? Several vendors have made savvy acquisitions that position them well, and with such a wide range of options, operators can now pick and choose the CDP that suit them best. For example:

• Amdocs acquired JacobsRimell, ChangingWorlds and jNetX.Amdocs' 2008 acquisition of JacobsRimell strengthened its OSS offering, making Amdocs the only vendor at the time to provide an order-to-cash solution encompassing all customer experience systems. With ChangingWorlds, Amdocs gained key mobile personalization and intelligent portal capabilities, enabling operators that partner with Amdocs to enhance their mobile portal navigation, mobile advertising and also provide better content search and recommendations for subscribers. Finally, Amdocs acquired service delivery platform jNetX, considered an industry-leading offering, to further expand its position in the marketplace.

• Ericsson acquired Drutt, Mobeon and SinglePoint. In 2007, Ericsson acquired Drutt, a leading content-enabling technology and service delivery platform maker. Mobeon, a leading provider of IP-messaging components for mobile and fixed networks, further strengthened Ericsson's content delivery capabilities, while also supplying IP-based voice and video mail. Ericsson made its most recent acquisition, SinglePoint, to gain a strategic operator with strong aggregation contract assets. The move not only expanded Ericsson's messaging reach in the U.S., but it also took the company to Common Short Code Administration Tier 1 status.

• Motricity acquired InfoSpaces's Mobile Business Service unit and GoldPocket. Motricity's acquisition of the Mobile Business Service unit of InfoSpace expanded Motricity's technology offering to include the mCore Platform, as well as its customer base to include four of the top 10 global wireless carriers based on total wireless data revenue: Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile USA. Motricity can now provide managed services infrastructure for mobile operators, including services like mobile search, storefronts, portals and messaging services. Motricity also acquired GoldPocket, a marketing solutions company for media and entertainment companies that specializes in mobile interactivity. The purchase enables Motricity to offer a very attractive marketing/advertising solution that includes the possibility of targeted advertising. GoldPocket also lets media companies deliver and bill consumers for content through operators. 

• Wmode acquired ProvisionX. Wmode acquired ProvisionX, a mobile gaming delivery platform with sourcing, management and delivery solutions, from Glu Mobile in 2007. Adding the strengths of ProvisionX will allow Wmode to confidently handle the impending increase in mobile gaming traffic.

• RealNetworks acquired Sony NetServices, WiderThan, Game Trust and Trymedia. Looking to improve its hold in the mobile content market and to expand its mobile media solutions in Europe, RealNetworks acquired Sony NetServices, which provides digital music services to mobile operators in eight European countries. It also struck a similar deal with WiderThan, a mobile entertainment solutions provider, in an effort to strengthen its position in Korea. Finally, RealNetworks built its RealGames offering via its acquisition of Game Trust and Trymedia. Game Trust's Game Frame platform provides software for community, affinity and commerce models in online gaming. Trymedia, which specializes in syndicated gaming, offers solutions enabling portals, online retailers and game developers to offer PC games through physical and digital channels—all while maximizing revenue throughout the process.
Meeting the challenge 

With data traffic climbing every year, operators are being forced to revamp their previous business models and focus more on content delivery. The overall content viewing experience is very important to subscribers; to keep churn levels low, operators must invest in tools—like CDPs—that provide easy and high-quality content viewing experiences across their networks while also presenting them with new, innovative revenue-generating opportunities.

Work Experience - FX and Buffalo Wild Wings

FX is a natural place for Buffalo Wild Wings to reach their consumers. Viewers of FX have the same interests Buffalo Wild Wings is seeking from their customers. The network has been receiving a fair amount of Buffalo Wild Wings’ cable spending, but FX is still looking to increase Buffalo Wild Wings’ efforts on the network to continue helping the restaurant flourish. FX is also outperforming the network Buffalo Wild Wings spends the most money on, ESPN

Buffalo Wild Wings is looking to reach adults age 18-49 and males 18-49 and FX is delivering this audience. According to MRI’s 2008 surveys, FX viewers are 42% more likely than the US average to be 18-49 and also dine out two or more times a week, which is 22% better than ESPN. FX’s male 18-49 viewers have an index of 148 over the US average for visiting a Buffalo Wild Wings two or more times a month. ESPN’s male 18-49 viewers’ index is only 125.

FX is reaching a much younger group of people than the major cable networks. FX’s median age is 33.4 for all viewers (age 2+) while USA and TNT both have median ages over 45. ESPN is also an older network than FX with a median age of 41.5. With Buffalo Wild Wings looking for customers as young as 18 years old, it’s important to take note of FX reaching these demos.

Buffalo Wild Wings also positions itself in its advertisements as a great place to watch a game and FX viewers are very interested in sports as well. MRI reports that FX’s adult 18-49 viewers are all “Super Fans” of the following sports leagues: NCAA College Football, Major League Baseball, NFL, NCAA College Basketball, NBA, and NASCAR. The other bonus of watching a game at a Buffalo Wild Wings is the big screen and HD TVs. Simmons Fall 2008 study shows FX’s male 18-49 viewers underindex the US average for owning a HD TV or a LCD flat panel, and are line with the US average for owning a TV that is 50 inches or bigger. ESPN and ESPN2’s male 18-49 viewers overindex the US average considerably for owning all three kinds of TVs. FX viewers do not have the luxury of having these impressive TVs at home and would have more motivation to go out to watch a big game at a Buffalo Wild Wings.

Buffalo Wild Wings has also branded their restaurants as a great release from work and a place to unwind. One advertisement on TV has all the customers hiding while their boss comes to the restaurant to presumably tell them all to get back to work. The Buffalo Wild Wings website has a special tab called “Boss” where the user can click on it and a fake Microsoft Excel spreadsheet will pop up on the screen. The website also has a list of excuses for missing work or leaving early so the worker can visit the restaurant. FX’s adult 18-49 viewers are more likely to be looking for such an escape while ESPN’s adult 18-49 viewers take their jobs a lot more seriously, according to Simmons’ Fall 2008 study. FX has a higher index than ESPN for agreeing with the statement “I only work at my job for the money”. Also, ESPN has very high indices for agreeing with the statements “I am a workaholic” and “I want to get to the top of my career” while FX’s indices are much lower. It seems ESPN viewers would be less likely to visit Buffalo Wild Wings’ website or use their list of excuses.

FX is doing an excellent job of reaching the people Buffalo Wild Wings are looking for. The FX viewer is young, they like eating out and they visit Buffalo Wild Wings frequently. The FX viewer is also very interested in sports and their lack of high definition or big screen televisions in their home make them more likely to go out to watch the big game. Finally, the FX viewer does not take work too seriously and would want to enjoy the release that Buffalo Wild Wings is offering. FX is delivering on all cylinders and doing it better than ESPN, which is the only cable net receiving more of Buffalo Wild Wings’ cable spending. Buffalo Wild Wings should take advantage of FX’s ability to reach their target consumer by increasing their spending on the network with additional advertising.